Casa Ella project

I come here today to tell you about a beautiful deco project I have been working over the summer; I have named it the "Casa Ella" project. Casa Ella is a beautiful Bead & Breakfast; the house is a 100 years old property located in the Benahavis village near my workshop. It has been refurbished several time since then but had to face a complete makeover in order to match modern B&B requirements. The owners came to see me while the property was being refurbished and were able to choose furniture and colors to paint with.

Painting beams

Last winter, friends of ours asked me to paint a few beams for their tailored-made coffee table. Every single beam had to fit perfectly in the metal structure. 
I thought it would be interesting to paint both side of the beams, just in case they would like to change and update their living room decor. 

My workshop - part 3

My workshop is now open for two months! 

I cannot publish on the blog as much as I used to do before but you can always follow along on Facebook and Instagram to get fresh updates. I think I can publish monthly different chapters under the "My workshop - part..." title so you all get updated regarding what's going on!

In addition to chalk painting workshops and orders, I have been involved in small painting projects on furniture and items I need on a daily basis. When time allows I take care of the logistic side of the place: organizing, drilling in the wall for additional shelves, revamp the window display, etc.

Check out last news @ the workshop and enjoy the tour!

My workshop - Part 2

Most of my updates are posted in my Facebook profile and Instagram as I am currently not publishing here as I don't have too much time left. This is what happen when you do everything on your own! However satisfaction is the best award when you see that everything is just as you like as well as a good public acceptance. 

My own workshop

After many months of reflection and appropriate steps it's eventually here: my own painting workshop, L'atelier d'Anne. Time has come to turn my dream into reality and have my own painting workshop. 

L'atelier d'Anne  Avda. de Andalucía 5 29679 Benahavis (Malaga)

Nested within Andalusian hills, Benahavis is a small and pittoresque white village with lime washed walls which has a great gastronomy interest around the Coast. My workshop is on the main street where locals and tourists traffic is continuous.

The blue trunk

I visited a few second hand stores this week and found this antique trunk. It was love at first sight and I purchased it straight away. 
After a deep cleaning I was able to list all the damages and repairs due to be done and started. 

Standing mirror makeover

This is a great makeover I want to share with you today! 
I have a standing mirror for years... I was no longer happy to see it around but did not want to get rid off it, of course! It's the perfect mirror which fits in any corner or at the end of a hallway. 
As I said I couldn't stand for its look anymore and have been thinking how could I turn it into something more... "my own style". 
And so the inspiration came, probably browsing Pinterest for hours(!) and I started this new project. 

Red barn color

Months ago I detailed about my MMSMP experience on this post. 

Today I would like to share another milk paint project with Old Fashioned Milk Paint. As I said the other day milk paint is very popular in Northern America but not too much in Europe so every detail on this type of paint is instructive. 

Vintage wood stove

When I don't have furniture to makeover I just look around my place and always stumble upon something to upcycle, refresh or embellish. 
Our vintage wood stove is the protagonist of the project today. As for family furniture and antiques I have told about on the blog, most of them belonged to my Mum and I am so grateful to have kept them from her last removal and so happy to care them all. I guess I inherited her taste for antiques and ancient treasures. As far as I remember my childhood, there was no modern piece of furniture at home, not a single one; most of our interiors were more than 50, 80 or 100 years old!

Chess or checkerboard?

This is a very simple DIY I come with today. When I had the wooden plank cut for the jewelry organizer (click here if you missed it) I didn't know what to do with the other half so I put it in my storage room since then... 

Looking for inspiration on Pinterest I stumble upon the idea of Donna from Funky Junk Interiors; she did an awesome board for his bathroom (click). She is much more inventive and skilled than me with junk stuff so I wouldn't be able to do such thing but I kept the chess idea in my mind. 

I needed a huge amount of tape and patience to end the painting process. Fixing the hooks was much easier. I love the result and it's now hanging at the guest bedroom's entrance. 

Vintage milk bottle carrier

I have seen this milk bottle carrier in our family's house since ever! I remember when my mother used to store wine or canned tomatoes. It finally turned to be used as a decor item somewhere in the kitchen and eventually ended in my hands! It's a real beauty! The metal color is dull and rust is visible on joints and nails but do not alter its genuine character. 

Junk stores in the desert

There is no restore or painting job today! 

I am happy to share with you wonderful pictures while we were visiting Moab, Utah and Colorado. As I did in my post while driving accross Route 66 (click here if you missed it) we stopped by two gorgeous places: junk and antiques stores! I so much love them! 

The first place was in Moab, a souvenirs store. We did prefer the outdoor rather the inside because of the junk stuff standing there, obviously abandonned but maintaining its character, irrestibly vintage! Old engines, tractors, rusted pieces all over... 

The 2nd store was even more genuine! The owner was very friendly and happy to see visitors from abroad. His store was originally (and still) a beans supplier but turned into a vintage store as nearly everything was for sale: coffee, kitchenware, car plates... and oh by the way one of them is now hanging on my headboard. Enjoy the tour...

Nightstands: milk and chalk paint

You can read in my blog I often use milk and chalk paint for many of my projects. As for the pantry kitchen table for my bedroom, I have used both on the same piece. I just love milk paint! I love the texture and the antique style it provides on any piece of furniture. 

My bedroom makeover

Here is the reveal: my bedroom makeover is now completely done! It has taken a long time but it really worth it. 
I have followed the exact steps as for my guest bedroom makeover: painting white walls, converting, repurposing and refreshing furniture on a budget. 

The pantry table

Just before Christmas I rescued this wonderful farmhouse pantry table from a garage sale. This is the typical primitive table you can find anywhere in Spanish farms. You just had to lift the drawer to store food; I love it!

Reuse shutter for headboard

I found this shutter nearby; they were refurbishing somewhere and this well-shape piece of wood was just waiting for me to pick it up. It might have been exposed to weather but certainly on a covered patio as it is just perfect. I love restoring furniture but it's also comforting to deal with a non-woodworm damaged piece sometimes! 
Wood shape is perfect and the lock is intact so this will be a great project to add to my bedroom makeover. In this post, I was telling you my existing headboard is fine and I still like it but adding this shutter will certainly be an asset and therefore a customized headboard.

I used ammonia and liquid soap to remove dust and grease and let it dry in the sun.

Once cleaned I used Ironstone from MMS mil paint on the shutter and a chalky grey on the headboard. This is the result and a preview of my bedroom makeover. 

Ongoing project: my bedroom makeover

Click here to see completed project

My bedroom is my very last makeover left. I have been thinking, re-thinking and "pinteresting" so  many months before gathering all the ideas... I am done! Every single piece has been considered: walls, furniture, items... I have now everything to start with a fresh and airy makeover. 

I want this walnut wall color to disappear and customize every piece of furniture according to my current taste. Lighting is also my priority so I have a lot to do for the next few weeks. 

I still like the headboard and could leave it as it is but I am currently working on a "rescued-from-trash-project" with a shutter and I might consider integrating it too. 

This is the room now:

I guess it will be released in a week or 10 days but I will publish my repurposed decor items in the meantime.

Anne

Share: Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+ 

The watchmaker stool

This beautiful watchmaker stool is in our family since ever as it belonged to a relative who was indeed a watchmaker. This interesting stool is made from 2 pieces which form a rotating sitting chair. 

I have been hesitating a very long time before repurposing as I didn't really know how: painting, not painting...? But the major point had to be done: woodworm had made damages and the whole piece needed attention. 

After treatment I used milk paint all over and sanded a little bit to feel the real wood grain. Milk paint is so great to revamp the antique feeling on all furniture!

I customized using typewriting stencils and imagined a cocoa manufacturer sign from Ghana.

I used soft and dark wax to protect the paint; here is the result.